Masquerade - A Short Romance

Chapter Nine

"Our next guest may be small, but her voice is larger than the Big Apple. Known for her contagious laughter and constant sense of humor, let alone sweet nature, our guest comes from the lands of North Dakota, where no survivors have been found in years." The host started, a few pictures of Monica growing up behind her on the large screens. "Please give a warm welcome, Monica Dellwoods!!!" Monica let out a breath before letting her heeled feet carry her across the stage to where she could come out and see the audience as she came into view. Smiling, she felt a blush crawl on her face, and she found herself wanting to turn back and run. But, she pressed on.

Walking out on stage, smiling as she heard the cheers fill the air, Monica found her strength and smile once again as she walked towards the couches that her interview would take place on. All night as she was getting ready for this, letting the makeup team finish anything that would be flawed on the air, she allowed, only to be sucked into her own thoughts. Waving to the crowd, she walked over to the host, Michelle Hills, a beautiful mid-thirties woman with beautiful black skin and brown eyes. She was short, like Monica, with a warmth about her that spread through the television. The set was open and large, enough to be changed into a dance floor, with an interviewing section just like any other talk show.

"Welcome!" she said in a warm voice, wrapping her arms around Monica. Monica smiled, hugging her back, instantly feeling less nerves. Michelle had come back to the dressing room, letting them get to know each other a few minutes to get her nerves down, and it seemed to be helping. "So glad you're here!" she said pulling back before motioning to the crowd. "Isn't she a doll?!" Michelle said before laughing, the applause filling the air once again.

Monica blushed, waving again and thanking her before taking a seat on the purple chair beside the wooden desk.

"Wow! I'm so happy you could come on the show. Thank you for coming," she said towards her.

Monica was all smiled, crossing her legs. She had worn a simple red gown that showed off her figure, but wasn't over the top, complementing her skin and bright red lips and makeup. "Thank you so much for having me," she said sincerely. "I'm excited. But, I'm not going to lie. I about passed out in the dressing room before they called me up here." she said to her. Laughs filled the air. "Seriously, I mean it. I'm back their, completely fine, and then all of a sudden I'm like a fish out of water!" she said with a laugh, then only to gasp, causing Michelle to laugh with the crowd. "But, after I finally realized I needed to woman up, things were fine, and I'm so, so excited about this!" she said before relaxing.

"And we're excited to have you back in the water so you can breath," Michelle said with a laugh. "Now, before we get started, for those who don't know about Monica, I'll give you a little backstory." she turned to the camera and audience, placing her hands on the desk together. Pictures once again, along with some videos of her dancing and singing, especially with Sam, came on the screens again. "Monica is a Broadway legend, rising up to become the lead roll on Broadways longest running show, Phantom of the Opera. After only three years of living in New York, and a degree in literature, she ended up here." turning back to Monica, she rose a brow at her. "Now why of all places did you decided to come to New York?"

Clearing her throat, she smiled. "Well, honestly I've always loved performing and dancing. And when I won a singing competition at the school I attended, I won a trip here to New York to watch Cats. So, me and my parents, we came up here and watched it. And, I can remember, sitting in the fifth row, just watching all the men and women, moving and dancing around this stage. And I was in complete awe... the only thing running in my mind was: I want to do that. I want to sing and dance and make people smile when I get older." she said as she fixed her dress over her legs. "And, I've been blessed to where I'm able to do just that."